Republic of Korea condemns deadly terrorist attack on tourist bus

Published on : Monday, February 17, 2014

The Republic of Korea (ROK) on Monday strongly condemned a deadly terrorist attack on a tourist bus carrying its nationals in southern Sinai in Egypt, vowing to do everything to take care of the victims.

The Foreign Ministry Spokesman said in a statement here the ROK strongly condemns the suicide bombing against its nationals, noting that it cannot repress fury and astonishment against such anti-human crime.

The ministry conveyed its deepest condolences to the victims and their bereaved families, promising to provide all possible supports to deal with the situation.

According to the ministry, the bus carrying 31 South Korean church members, two South Korean tour guides and one Egyptian driver, was struck by a terrorist attack Sunday afternoon.

The blast killed one female South Korean tourist, the two South Korean tour guides and the Egyptian driver along with the suicide bomber, injuring 15 other South Korean tourists.

A bomb exploded in the front part of the bus, which was preparing to cross into Israel in the southern Sinai town of Taba.

The team of South Korean sightseers, who came from one of the country’s Presbyterian churches, had been on a pilgrimage since last week to Turkey, Egypt and Israel.

It was the first attack on tourists in Egypt since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian army in July sparked civil unrest and a spate of attacks across the country which had mainly targeted security forces.

The South Korean foreign ministry issued a special travel warning against the Sinai Peninsula, calling on its people to immediately withdraw from the region and not to visit the area.